BMPD apprehends bank robbery suspect in high-speed chase

License plate readers play key role in alerting authorities

Fred McCormick
The Valley Echo
June 1, 2023

A high-speed chase involving officers with the Black Mountain Police Department, June 1, ended with the apprehension of a bank robbery suspect on I-26 in Asheville. 

Law enforcement officials arrested Kelvin Wayne Simmons, 53, of Concord, after newly installed license plate readers alerted the department of his arrival in town. Simmons, according to a BMPD press release detailing the incident, had outstanding arrest warrants in Henderson, Mecklenburg, Gaston, Rowan and Cabarrus Counties. 

Simmons was wanted on multiple charges, including robbery with a dangerous weapon, attempted robbery with a dangerous weapon, fleeing to elude arrest, second degree kidnapping and attempted common law robbery, BMPD Chief Steve Parker said.

Officers initiated the pursuit following a report from Buncombe County Public Safety Communications dispatch of shots fired on State Street. That report was false, Parker continued, but it was consistent with a pattern that preceded bank robberies in other counties.

Law enforcement officials initiated a traffic stop of the vehicle following a notification from the LPR, which identifies plate numbers listed in the National Crime Information Center database. Simmons, according to the BMPD statement, released two passengers before fleeing the scene. 

“(The) Black Mountain Police Department feels confident Simmons was preparing to rob a bank in Black Mountain, as he was spotted within moments of the erroneous shots fired call and the License Plate Reader alert,” the press release stated. 

Simmons led officers on a high-speed chase traveling on I-40 at speeds of over 115 miles per hour, according to the department. During the pursuit, Simmons entered I-26 traveling the wrong way and struck several vehicles. After crashing, he exited the wrecked vehicle and attempted to carjack a vehicle that had stopped on the highway. Bystanders wrestled Simmons to the ground and held him until Black Mountain Police arrived and took him into custody.

The arrest would not have been possible without the plate readers, which were installed earlier this year, according to Parker. 

“We wouldn’t have known who called in the false shots fired call or that he was in town limits at that time,” the chief said. “We wouldn’t have been able to stop what we believe would’ve been an attempted armed robbery without it.”